Improved method of blowing off steam-boilers



JAMES II. IVASUINGTON, UF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IM PROVED METHOD OF BLOWlNG OFF STEAM-BOILERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 22,757', dated January 25, 1859.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, JAMES II. WASHINGTON, of Baltimore, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in thc Manner of Blowing Ott' .from the Surface of Steanrlhiilers; and I do hereby declare the followingl to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, rel'erence bein g had to the accompanying drawin gs, making a part ofthis specilieation, in whichw Figure l represents a perspective view of the apparatus as arranged in the interior ot' a steam-boiler. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal and vertical section through a portion thereof, and Fig. 3 represents a horiziimtal section through the steam joint or hinge that connects the float and its pipe to the stationary steam-pipe.

Similar letters of reference where they oecurin the several figures denl'lte like parts of the apparatus in all the figures.

I am aware that attempts have been made to blow off boilers at the sru'facegbut in these attempts the blow-off pipe did not lfollow and accommodate itself to the constantly-varyiug height of the water in the boiler, so that sometimes it would blow oif from below the surface, and again blow off steam.

The nature of my invention consists in making a joint or hinge in the blow-ofil pipe, and connecting with said hinged pipe a float that will keep the blow-off opening always at a lixed position with regard to the surface ol' the vater in the boiler, however much that surface may vary.

To enable others skilled in the arl to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

In sea-going steamcrs the crystals of salt first form at or near the surface of the water, and so of other mineral matter held in soin tion in the water, or of its natural imp criticsthey first rise to the surface and afterward form a scale on the inside of the boiler, which causes the boilers te burn out. My object is to avoid this scaling by constantly blowing oit the crystals or sediment at the surface or just below the surface; and I do it as follows:

A, in red lines, may represent the shell oi' the boiler, and B is a pipe leading from the inside to the outside of the boiler and rigidly held to the boiler. To the inside end of this stationary pipe B, I attach, by a steam or water tight hinge or joint, d, of any of the known kinds, a second pipe, U, which has upon its extreme end a fioat, D. Near the end of the pipe C there is a small branch pipe, r, over which is slipped an inverted funnel, E, so that the funnel can be raised or lowered to adjust it to or just below the surface of the water in the boiler, to which it is held by the float I); and thus, as the float is always on the surface, the funnel will` also maintain its position with regard to the surface also.

l? lt are guides between which the iloat may play; and at a point below which it would be dangerous to over allow the water to fall in the boiler the float will be caught and held, and then steam will escape through the funnel E and pipes CB, and to give an alarm a steam-whistle may be attached to the end ofthe pipe B, which will signal when the water is too low. The water when blowing oli' would not sound the whistle; but a careful engineer will never require a whistle to notify him that there is danger, as he will take the precaution to prevent it. Any sl eamioint that will allow the float to be at the surface of the water will serve the purpose of keeping the funnel there also; and two or more of these eontrivanees maybe connected to one blow-off pipe, or to one boiler, the obment at the surfaee,- which surface is constantly varying in height'1 and thus prevent what is termed scaling and a consequent burning out of the boilers.

llaving thus fully described thc nature and object of my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

(lonnceting the pipe C by an elastic or yielding joint to the stationary pipe li, and furnishing its opposite end with a iloat, l), that will keep the inlet into said pipe C at or a little below the surface of the water in the boiler, so as to blow off sediment, the., at the surface, however much it may rise or fall or vary, substantially as described.

JAMES Il. WASHINGTON.

W itnesses:

A. B. SToUGHToN, E. COHEN.

ject being to continuously blow olf the sedi# 

